


The Bates Motel

by DateNightFright



Category: Psycho (1960)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 16:42:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18553696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DateNightFright/pseuds/DateNightFright
Summary: When a mysterious woman shows up at the Bates Motel one night, Norman finds himself as taken with her as she is with him. Though their parents will do anything they possibly can to keep them apart.





	The Bates Motel

“You’re getting tired Meadow,” Father admonished, “You need to pull over, get some rest, we can continue our journey in the morning.” Meadow swallows the lump in her throat, she doesn’t want to stop now, They are too close to her. She needs to put more distance between Them and her and Father. “Meadow,” Father’s tone is one of agner. She shrinks into the seat, “I’m sorry,” She whispers, looking carefully at the signs for a rest area, “Don’t be upset with me.”

            Her father heaves a great sigh, “Child, I know you’re scared,”

“I’m not scared,” She defended. It wasn’t entirely a lie, she WAS scared…just not for herself, she was scared that they’d take Father away. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to live without Father, not yet. The man beside her falls silent, not wanting to argue with his only child. Meadow is thankful for the silence.

            After a long while, she promises him the next rest stop she finds, she’ll take. Get some shut eye so she can continue driving. “You should let me drive,” He says. Meadow shakes her head. “Not with your leg,” She tells him. “You know how much it troubles you these days. Especially in this weather.”

“I can stand to drive a few hours, I’m not an invalid.” Meadow flashes the sweetest smile she can muster. She doesn’t want to fight with Father, not after everything that’s happened. “I’m fine, really I am. Just a little further ok?” She feels Father settle next to her, going silent. She can breathe once again.

            It takes another two hours for her to find a place to stop for the night. The Bates Motel. “I don’t like it,” Father growls, “It’s too far off the main road, something could happen,”

“Yes,” Meadow snaps, tired from her day of running, tired of trying to play nice, and so very tired of Father’s constant pessimism, “well, we wouldn’t have to take a motel so far off the main road if one of us hadn’t-”

“I did it for your protection!” Father bellows, “I do everything for your protection! You know this!” Father makes a sudden movement, and Meadow whimpers, flinching away from him. This sobers Father’s anger, he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “My precious, precious daughter,”

“We just need rest,” Meadow tells him, she doesn’t want to argue anymore. They’d been arguing since…she didn’t want to think about that either.

            Carefully, Meadow turns onto the off-ramp towards the Motel. Even though she’s at her wits end, she’s so looking forward to a hot shower and a good nights’ rest, perhaps, after some sleep, she and Father will be able to figure out where they should go. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, but that was a thought for tomorrow.

*

            Norman was reading at the desk, trying his hardest to get away from Mother. She had been overbearing earlier that day, the cold made her joints stiff, which in turn made her more ornery than usual. She’d only let him leave under the pretense of managing the front desk.

Business had picked up moderately thanks to a generous review in a well-read magazine He was grateful for the new comers looking for a stay at such a ‘quaint motel’. Even so, he didn’t expect any customers this night. It was too late, for one thing, and for another, his sign was off. So, when a woman waltzes through the front door, holding herself tightly thanks to the chill outside, he nearly fell off his stool in shock.

“I’m sorry,” She mutters, wrapping her arms around herself tighter, “I know the sign isn’t on, but,” She gulps, looking down on the floor. It takes Norman longer than he would’ve liked to respond to her. He had little experience with women who wasn’t his mother and she was some sublime creature that graced him with her presence. He was, in effect, tongue tied. “We have a room!” He eventually croaks.

            Her eyes snap back to his face and he swears he’s going to drop dead right there. “May I take it?” Norman nods, scooting the register towards her. She signs her name, Meadow Robin. “Meadow?” He mutters. She turns sheepish, “My father,” She explains, “He met my mother in a place called the Red Meadow,” He smiles at her, hoping she’ll continue to talk about herself. She winces, however, looking over her shoulder worriedly. “Um, speaking of my father, he’s in the car and, well, it’s been such an awfully long drive…”

“Right,” Norman says, poor dear, she must be exhausted. He scrambles to get her a key to the first room. He hands her the key, and she takes it with a shaking hand. “Are you hungry?” He asks, “I don’t have much at the house but,”

“I’m fine!” She says, quickly turning from him. “Thank you for the room,” She tells him, before rushing out the door. Norman frowns, what a strange creature. A beautiful, ethereal, and so very strange. Norman is suddenly very glad he decided to escape Mother for a while and come to the Motel to read.

            He rushes to the window to watch her. She moves from the car to the motel rather quickly, slipping inside the room without a second thought. He wondered where her father was. Had he gone into the room before herm, eager for a rest? Norman worried his bottom lip, arguing with himself. He wanted to peek in on her. Wanted to see more of her, know more of her, but she didn’t deserve that. He only did that with drifters and whores, not pretty, young ladies who seemed in distress.

            What if her father was abusive? He wondered. Every time she mentioned him, she got this worried look to her face. What if he was hurting her somehow, forcing her on this trip she didn’t want to go on. What if the man she wasn’t with wasn’t even her father? Quickly rationalizing his stalkerish tendencies, Norman removes the little piece of cloth he keeps in the hole that allows him to peer into the room.

            He finds that she’s quite alone…talking to herself? No, the man must be somewhere else in the room with her. “Father, please,” She begs, looking next to her. The resounding voice is shockingly deep. “But he was looking at you Little Bird,” Norman frowns, they were talking about him. “He had that glint in his eyes,”

“Father, please, not now,”

“It isn’t safe here Little Bird, get back in the car, drive off.”

“No!” She shoots up from her position on the bed. “I won’t, I can’t. I’m tired, and hungry, and I don’t want to get back in that stupid car.” There was silence. “Mark my words-”

“Father enough! Not every man I meet is trying to take me away from you! I’m sure he’s a sweet man, leave him be,” Norman’s cheeks turn red, she thought he was sweet? “Please, for my sake, leave him alone.” Norman wrenches himself away from the wall, feeling eyes on him. He turns to see none other than Mother looking at him with disgust in her face. “Mother,” He says, quickly stuffing the hole with the rag. “She’s a distraction,” the woman says. “You should kick her out, tell her, her money isn’t good here.”

“Mother please,” Norman says, knowing the argument coming. “She’s scared, and lonely, and it looks like her father-”

“Never you mind about her father! Kick her out Norman, I don’t like her.”

“I will do no such thing! Besides, you should be resting, not running about worrying yourself to death about guests.”

“Don’t you try to change the subject. I’m perfectly healthy, Norman, get her out of here.”

“Now you listen to me, Mother,” Norman says, feeling courage he didn’t know he possessed until this very moment. Mother gives him a fierce look, one that says he shouldn’t be arguing with her. But he’s a man possessed now, for some reason, he feels brave. This woman, this unknown entity makes him brave. He finds he very much likes this feeling. “She’s a poor, innocent woman, who’s done nothing wrong to me, to you, or to anyone! She’s staying, for as long as she likes. And that’s that.”

“I’ll have to take matters into my own hands it seems,”

“No, Mother. You remember what happened last time don’t you? You almost shut us down. Remember? With the private investigator, and the police. You can’t stab everyone woman that comes in here just because you don’t like her. I won’t allow it.”

            Mother presses her lips tightly together. After a long moment of agonizing silence, Mother heaves a great sigh. “Very well,” She sniffs, sailing past him, “Do as you wish. I’m sure you know what’s best.”

“Oh Mother,” Norman mutters, watching her leave reception. It’s strange, he thinks, sitting back down on the stool to resume his book. Normally, talking back to Mother made him antsy. He knew he shouldn’t talk to her in such a way, she’d sacrificed so much for him already, but he couldn’t find it in himself to feel guilty this time. He was too taken with the new guest.

            In fact, he felt quit proud of himself for coming to her rescue, in a sense. She’d never know it, but he did. He’d tuck that little fact away in his mind to help him get through dark times. He’d helped a beautiful stranger, saved her from the very jaws of death. He’d been a hero, for once in his life.

“Meadow,” He mutters, smiling broadly to himself, “Meadow, I like that name, Meadow.” As he resumes his book, he finds his thoughts wandering more and more to the woman named Meadow. Surely a woman would live up to the sweetness of her name?


End file.
